January 12, 2009--The Zapatista inspired network "Flor da Palavra" ("blossom of words", in a free translation) invites everyone to participate in a "ajuri" (gathering) to build the first "caracol" (snail) of Brasil, in the island of Caratateua (Outeiro), in Belém, Brasil, starting in January 2009. These "snails" are the bases for the organization of autogestion in the Zapatista's regions in Chiapas (Mexico), creating unity between its autonomous municipalities and communities and facilitating the communication of the native folks with national and international civil society solidarity. The "ajuri" (gathering) is a traditional practice of the indigenous people and of the caboclos (brazilian descendants of white and indians), in which groups and individuals unite in solidarity to, for example, clean and prepare the land for cultivation. In Outeiro, the purpose of the "ajuri" is to buy a piece of land and then begin the physical and human construction of a permanent area which can be used by volunteers and inhabitants to cultivate local autonomy and communication with other struggles.
There are already initiatives for the caracol to be also a place for the gathering of autonomous groups, free radios, Indymedia groups and other collectives. The network reminds that the revolution, for the EZLN, is the result of "the struggle in many social fronts, with many methods, under different social forms, with diverse degrees of compromise and participation", and stands out the importance that the main gathering happens with the people that live and frequent the island. Caratateua (Outeiro) is administrated by Belém, and is connected to the center by an 18km bridge, inaugurated in 1986. It has a population of 16.665 (data from the Belém City Hall, 1997) distributed in the quarters of Brasilia, Itaiteua, Tucumaeira, Fama, Fidélis, Água Boa, Primavera and Água Cristalina, which combine aspects of riverain rural life (as fishing and production of açaí -- a fruit from the amazonic region) with urbanization connected to the expansion of popular turism. It suffers with infra-structure and basic sanitation problems, as well as others linked with its "poor" region profile (in the "rich" point of view) and low priority for the State.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Bubble Gum Music Is The Naked Truth
I have recently become a fan of the so-called, Bubblegum Music, of the late 1960s and early 1970s. I think of this as a lateral move from my fondness for 1960s garage and pyschedelic music, as I discovered that a lot of the music labelled as Bubblegum, sure sounds like the other two genres.
What Bubblegum exactly is, remains elusive. Every CD compilation I see labelled, Bubblegum seems to include different artists and different songs. Supposedly the term came about when teen music impressarios, Jeff Katz and Jerry Kasenetz came up with the label when talking about their studio productions they did for labels like, Buddha, and their own Super K label.
So, Bubblegum was largely put out in the form of singles by studio-session musicians
that were ready for AM radio consumption.
Except, some real bands, like the Music Explosion seem to usually fall under the category of Bubblegum.
So, here are some observations about what seems to constitute Bubblegum music:
There seems to be an Ohio connection of some sort: The Music Explonsion, Lemon Pipers, Tommy James And The Shondells, and of course, the Ohio Express, all seem to fall under Bubblegum.
The Teen Idol connection is strong: The likes of Bobby Sherman seem to usually be considered Bubblegum.
Cartoon characters as recording artists: I would put under here, The Archies, Josie and The Pussycats, and the live action cartoon that The Monkees were. The most unusual item under consideration here, is a 1969 single called, Captain Groovy And His Bubblegum Army, which was made for a never-produced cartoon show, called, Captain Groovy and His Bubblegum Army. It picked up some airplay and got all the way to #128 on the charts.
The following singers seem to be in the category of Bubblegum: Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as recording artists, Joey Levine ( Ohio Express, Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, and other productions), and Tony Burrows (Edison Lighthouse, Brotherhood Of Man and other studio productions).
Anyway, there is good stuff under this umbrella, so if you are like me and feel the need to make a lateral move from the garage and psych and tune in and turn on and like the song says:
Let me dance, dance, dance
To that bubble gum music
If you really want to turn me on.
What Bubblegum exactly is, remains elusive. Every CD compilation I see labelled, Bubblegum seems to include different artists and different songs. Supposedly the term came about when teen music impressarios, Jeff Katz and Jerry Kasenetz came up with the label when talking about their studio productions they did for labels like, Buddha, and their own Super K label.
So, Bubblegum was largely put out in the form of singles by studio-session musicians
that were ready for AM radio consumption.
Except, some real bands, like the Music Explosion seem to usually fall under the category of Bubblegum.
So, here are some observations about what seems to constitute Bubblegum music:
There seems to be an Ohio connection of some sort: The Music Explonsion, Lemon Pipers, Tommy James And The Shondells, and of course, the Ohio Express, all seem to fall under Bubblegum.
The Teen Idol connection is strong: The likes of Bobby Sherman seem to usually be considered Bubblegum.
Cartoon characters as recording artists: I would put under here, The Archies, Josie and The Pussycats, and the live action cartoon that The Monkees were. The most unusual item under consideration here, is a 1969 single called, Captain Groovy And His Bubblegum Army, which was made for a never-produced cartoon show, called, Captain Groovy and His Bubblegum Army. It picked up some airplay and got all the way to #128 on the charts.
The following singers seem to be in the category of Bubblegum: Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as recording artists, Joey Levine ( Ohio Express, Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus, and other productions), and Tony Burrows (Edison Lighthouse, Brotherhood Of Man and other studio productions).
Anyway, there is good stuff under this umbrella, so if you are like me and feel the need to make a lateral move from the garage and psych and tune in and turn on and like the song says:
Let me dance, dance, dance
To that bubble gum music
If you really want to turn me on.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
News From Asheville Global Report
Jan. 11- Palestinian children are dying at a heavy rate in the Israeli-Hamas fighting — about one of every three persons killed, according to Gaza statistics.
Medical staff on Jan. 11 estimated that over 850 Palestinians had been killed in Israel's two-week military offensive, including some 265 children, and more than 3,500 injured. During the same period, 13 Israelis have died in the fighting. On Jan. 9, the Associated Press reported that there were at least 1,080 children among the 3,100 injured up to that point earlier.
The U.N.'s top humanitarian official, John Holmes, described the numbers as "credible" and deeply disturbing. U.N officials say about half of the casualties were civilians.
Holmes and John Ging, head of Gaza operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, both expressed anger and regret at their decision Thursday to temporarily suspend aid shipments in the Gaza Strip because it was too risky for their aid workers.
"It's particularly distressing and horrifying that the current casualties seem to be increasingly civilian casualties, with an increasing incidence of whole families being buried in houses which have been hit," Holmes said.
Ann Veneman, executive director of the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, warned the suspension of aid would put children even more in harm's way.
"This can only deepen an already critical humanitarian situation and put children at even greater risk of death or permanent damage. The distribution of food, water, fuel and medicine should not be impeded," she said.
The decision to suspend aid deliveries in Gaza came after Israeli strikes killed two drivers for UNRWA and injured a third in marked vehicles, U.N. officials say.
In all, four of UNRWA's Gaza staff have been killed since Israel launched a major attack on Hamas 13 days ago, according to the U.N. UNRWA said its deliveries of food have served as a "lifeline" for 750,000 Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
Holmes cited another incident in which a U.N. convoy of two armored vehicles and an ambulance were "targeted by small-arms fire during its passage" Thursday, even though its movement was "agreed in advance" by the Israeli authorities.
The World Health Organization said Gaza's health services were "on the point of collapse" — the hospitals overwhelmed, health care workers exhausted. It said the dead included 21 medical personnel, 30 more were injured and 11 ambulances have been struck by attacks.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip received on Jan. 10 air-dropped leaflets warning them that the Israeli military was about to step up operations against militant targets there and that they should take necessary precautions.
However, it remained unclear what Palestinians could do, given that UN officials have said Gazans have no safe place to hide.
"There is nowhere safe in Gaza," Allegra Pacheco, deputy head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, said. His views were echoed by Max Gaylord, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Jerusalem.
The leaflet told Gazans that they should follow the recent example of Rafah's residents, who fled their homes in the south of the Gaza Strip after receiving similar announcements instructing them to do so just before the Israeli airforce began to pound the city, which is along the Egyptian border. Israeli officials said Palestinian militants were using tunnels to smuggle weapons under this border.
Witnesses said up to 50,000 people fled the town, and the UN reported that Israel's ongoing Operation Cast Lead, which began on December 27, has created the largest number of forcibly displaced Palestinians since the 1967 war.
Nowhere to run
While most Gazans are already refugees from previous wars, they cannot cross a border now, as the perimeter of the territory is sealed off from all sides. They can only find a relatively safer place within the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas on the planet.
The latest leaflet said the Israeli military "will continue to target tunnels, weapons storage facilities and terror operatives with growing intensity throughout the Gaza Strip. For your safety and that of your families, stay away from these."
An Israeli military spokesman could not explain how a civilian in Gaza was supposed to know where a weapons storage facility was and how the person could then avoid it, particularly as the army itself has said militants were hiding in civilian areas.
Furthermore, places where Palestinians have sought refuge, including UN facilities, have been attacked, and civilians have been killed while fleeing, according to testimonies gathered by Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups.
Israel's definition of a legitimate target has been challenged by the Israeli rights group B'tselem, which, for example, rejects the military's claims that it can attack the civilian infrastructure of Hamas, including government and police facilities. International law, the group said, did not consider these military targets.
While B'tselem said Hamas was committing "war crimes" by firing rockets at Israeli civilians, it acknowledged that the Islamist group was also in charge of the enclave and provided basic services, and that these should not be targeted.
Overnight on Jan. 10, as has become the norm recently, Israel carried out more than 60 airstrikes over the Gaza Strip.
White phosphorous allegation
Meanwhile, a military analyst with New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch said Israel was using white phosphorous illegally in its offensive.
While international law allows the use of the substance as a smokescreen, it cannot be used near civilians as it has an incidental "incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity on fire".
The expert saw it being used over crowded residential areas and doctors in the enclave have reported untypical burns that they are having trouble treating.
The Israeli army said it followed international law and did not use illegal weapons or employ illegal tactics.
It remains difficult to independently verify information about what is going on inside Gaza as journalists and researchers are still banned from the entering the territory.
Sources: Associated Press, Guardian (UK), UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. Compiled by The Global Report
Medical staff on Jan. 11 estimated that over 850 Palestinians had been killed in Israel's two-week military offensive, including some 265 children, and more than 3,500 injured. During the same period, 13 Israelis have died in the fighting. On Jan. 9, the Associated Press reported that there were at least 1,080 children among the 3,100 injured up to that point earlier.
The U.N.'s top humanitarian official, John Holmes, described the numbers as "credible" and deeply disturbing. U.N officials say about half of the casualties were civilians.
Holmes and John Ging, head of Gaza operations for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, both expressed anger and regret at their decision Thursday to temporarily suspend aid shipments in the Gaza Strip because it was too risky for their aid workers.
"It's particularly distressing and horrifying that the current casualties seem to be increasingly civilian casualties, with an increasing incidence of whole families being buried in houses which have been hit," Holmes said.
Ann Veneman, executive director of the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, warned the suspension of aid would put children even more in harm's way.
"This can only deepen an already critical humanitarian situation and put children at even greater risk of death or permanent damage. The distribution of food, water, fuel and medicine should not be impeded," she said.
The decision to suspend aid deliveries in Gaza came after Israeli strikes killed two drivers for UNRWA and injured a third in marked vehicles, U.N. officials say.
In all, four of UNRWA's Gaza staff have been killed since Israel launched a major attack on Hamas 13 days ago, according to the U.N. UNRWA said its deliveries of food have served as a "lifeline" for 750,000 Palestinian refugees in Gaza.
Holmes cited another incident in which a U.N. convoy of two armored vehicles and an ambulance were "targeted by small-arms fire during its passage" Thursday, even though its movement was "agreed in advance" by the Israeli authorities.
The World Health Organization said Gaza's health services were "on the point of collapse" — the hospitals overwhelmed, health care workers exhausted. It said the dead included 21 medical personnel, 30 more were injured and 11 ambulances have been struck by attacks.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip received on Jan. 10 air-dropped leaflets warning them that the Israeli military was about to step up operations against militant targets there and that they should take necessary precautions.
However, it remained unclear what Palestinians could do, given that UN officials have said Gazans have no safe place to hide.
"There is nowhere safe in Gaza," Allegra Pacheco, deputy head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, said. His views were echoed by Max Gaylord, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Jerusalem.
The leaflet told Gazans that they should follow the recent example of Rafah's residents, who fled their homes in the south of the Gaza Strip after receiving similar announcements instructing them to do so just before the Israeli airforce began to pound the city, which is along the Egyptian border. Israeli officials said Palestinian militants were using tunnels to smuggle weapons under this border.
Witnesses said up to 50,000 people fled the town, and the UN reported that Israel's ongoing Operation Cast Lead, which began on December 27, has created the largest number of forcibly displaced Palestinians since the 1967 war.
Nowhere to run
While most Gazans are already refugees from previous wars, they cannot cross a border now, as the perimeter of the territory is sealed off from all sides. They can only find a relatively safer place within the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas on the planet.
The latest leaflet said the Israeli military "will continue to target tunnels, weapons storage facilities and terror operatives with growing intensity throughout the Gaza Strip. For your safety and that of your families, stay away from these."
An Israeli military spokesman could not explain how a civilian in Gaza was supposed to know where a weapons storage facility was and how the person could then avoid it, particularly as the army itself has said militants were hiding in civilian areas.
Furthermore, places where Palestinians have sought refuge, including UN facilities, have been attacked, and civilians have been killed while fleeing, according to testimonies gathered by Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups.
Israel's definition of a legitimate target has been challenged by the Israeli rights group B'tselem, which, for example, rejects the military's claims that it can attack the civilian infrastructure of Hamas, including government and police facilities. International law, the group said, did not consider these military targets.
While B'tselem said Hamas was committing "war crimes" by firing rockets at Israeli civilians, it acknowledged that the Islamist group was also in charge of the enclave and provided basic services, and that these should not be targeted.
Overnight on Jan. 10, as has become the norm recently, Israel carried out more than 60 airstrikes over the Gaza Strip.
White phosphorous allegation
Meanwhile, a military analyst with New York-based NGO Human Rights Watch said Israel was using white phosphorous illegally in its offensive.
While international law allows the use of the substance as a smokescreen, it cannot be used near civilians as it has an incidental "incendiary effect that can severely burn people and set structures, fields, and other civilian objects in the vicinity on fire".
The expert saw it being used over crowded residential areas and doctors in the enclave have reported untypical burns that they are having trouble treating.
The Israeli army said it followed international law and did not use illegal weapons or employ illegal tactics.
It remains difficult to independently verify information about what is going on inside Gaza as journalists and researchers are still banned from the entering the territory.
Sources: Associated Press, Guardian (UK), UN Integrated Regional Information Networks. Compiled by The Global Report
Ladies And Gentlemen-The Fabulous Stains!!
Rhino Home Video has recently released what has got to be about my favorite punk-rock themed movie, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. What has this movie got going for it? How about:
Diane Lane in her first starring role
Laura Dern in an early featured role
A couple of Tubes (about my favorite mainstream late 70's, early 80s band, The Completion Backwards Principal was required listening in my college dorm years)
A couple of Sex Pistols
A member of The Clash
Legendary LA-punksters Black Randy And The Metrosquad
So, really, what is not to to like?
An added feature is that it really is less about the redemptive power of music (although I like these kind of rock and roll fillums, also-Almost Famous, That Thing You Do, and Purple Rain would have to be required syllabus items in any Rock and Roll film class), than it is about people behaving badly.
The bad behavior starts when Diane Lane and her cohort, leave school and family behind and get themselves on a traveliing road show that includes a heavy-metal top act, a punk second bill, and a Rastafarian road manager (see? the film just keeps getting better as it goes along).
The Stains are a female rock and roll trio so unfinished, that they make the Raincoats sound like late-period Led Zeppelin. So, they obviously need a gimmick.
Diane Lane mutilates and colors her hair until she has a skunk-like hairdo. An ambitious female TV reporter pounces on this character, who inadvertently starts a bad hair and bad attitude youth movement which mantra is: I Am A Skunk, And I Do Not Put Out!!
Ummmmm....except later, she does, with Paul Simonon, in the shower.
She also steals a song from his band, The Looters, and by the end of the movie, The Stains become a polished Go-Go like act with a hit music video.
See, better living through bad behavior!!
I have seen this entire movie on Youtube on occasion, but it now is available from Rhino Home Video.
Diane Lane in her first starring role
Laura Dern in an early featured role
A couple of Tubes (about my favorite mainstream late 70's, early 80s band, The Completion Backwards Principal was required listening in my college dorm years)
A couple of Sex Pistols
A member of The Clash
Legendary LA-punksters Black Randy And The Metrosquad
So, really, what is not to to like?
An added feature is that it really is less about the redemptive power of music (although I like these kind of rock and roll fillums, also-Almost Famous, That Thing You Do, and Purple Rain would have to be required syllabus items in any Rock and Roll film class), than it is about people behaving badly.
The bad behavior starts when Diane Lane and her cohort, leave school and family behind and get themselves on a traveliing road show that includes a heavy-metal top act, a punk second bill, and a Rastafarian road manager (see? the film just keeps getting better as it goes along).
The Stains are a female rock and roll trio so unfinished, that they make the Raincoats sound like late-period Led Zeppelin. So, they obviously need a gimmick.
Diane Lane mutilates and colors her hair until she has a skunk-like hairdo. An ambitious female TV reporter pounces on this character, who inadvertently starts a bad hair and bad attitude youth movement which mantra is: I Am A Skunk, And I Do Not Put Out!!
Ummmmm....except later, she does, with Paul Simonon, in the shower.
She also steals a song from his band, The Looters, and by the end of the movie, The Stains become a polished Go-Go like act with a hit music video.
See, better living through bad behavior!!
I have seen this entire movie on Youtube on occasion, but it now is available from Rhino Home Video.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
News From Green Left Weekly
A December 30 statement.
The Dignity, a Free Gaza boat on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, is being attacked by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The Dignity has been surrounded by at least half-a-dozen Israeli warships. They are firing live ammunition around the Dignity, and one of the warships has
rammed the civilian craft causing an unknown amount of damage.
Contrary to international maritime law, the Israelis are actively preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the Dignity return to
Cyprus — despite the fact that the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so.
Fortunately, no one aboard the ship has yet been seriously injured.
There are 15 civilian passengers representing 11 different countries (see below for a complete list). At approximately 5am (UST) on December 30, well out in international waters, Israeli warships began surrounding the Dignity, threatening the ship. At 6:45am (UST) we were able to establish brief
contact with the crew and were told that the ship had been rammed by the Israeli Navy in international waters, and that the Israelis were preventing the ship from finding safe harbor.
We heard heavy gunfire in the background before all contact was lost with the Dignity.
It is urgent that you take immediate action.
CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the Dignity and endangering the lives of its passengers!
CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5062 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il.
CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il;.
The Dignity, a Free Gaza boat on a mission of mercy to besieged Gaza, is being attacked by the Israeli Navy in international waters. The Dignity has been surrounded by at least half-a-dozen Israeli warships. They are firing live ammunition around the Dignity, and one of the warships has
rammed the civilian craft causing an unknown amount of damage.
Contrary to international maritime law, the Israelis are actively preventing the Dignity from approaching Gaza or finding safe haven in either Egypt or Lebanon. Instead, the Israeli navy is demanding that the Dignity return to
Cyprus — despite the fact that the ship does not carry enough fuel to do so.
Fortunately, no one aboard the ship has yet been seriously injured.
There are 15 civilian passengers representing 11 different countries (see below for a complete list). At approximately 5am (UST) on December 30, well out in international waters, Israeli warships began surrounding the Dignity, threatening the ship. At 6:45am (UST) we were able to establish brief
contact with the crew and were told that the ship had been rammed by the Israeli Navy in international waters, and that the Israelis were preventing the ship from finding safe harbor.
We heard heavy gunfire in the background before all contact was lost with the Dignity.
It is urgent that you take immediate action.
CALL the Israeli Government and demand that it immediately STOP attacking the Dignity and endangering the lives of its passengers!
CALL Mark Regev in the Prime Minister’s office at:
+972 2670 5354 or +972 5062 3264
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il.
CALL Shlomo Dror in the Ministry of Defence at:
+972 33697 5339 or +972 50629 8148
mediasar@mod.gov.il;.
Byron Dorgan For FCC Chair
President Obama has not yet selected a chair for the Federal Communications Commission. To be fair, the crises in Afghanistan, Gaza, and in the US economy have been taking most of his time.
I'm a communciation person, however, and I beleive that communication is going to be increasingly important in the near future. I nominate North Dakota Senator, Byron Dorgan.
First, a little backstory: the entire three-man North Dakota congressional delegation came out early for Obama. So, there is no political rancor to deal with here. The Obamaadministration has previously sought the services of another qualified North Dakotan, Kent Conrad, to oversee the Office of Managment of the Budget. Conrad has a rep as a numbersman in the senate, and was a tax commissioner in North Dakota. To his credit, Conrad demured, saying that he wanted to continue serving the people of North Dakota and savehis home state from a future Duane Sand run for office.
Would Dorgan be asked, I think he would say the same thing. But, there are lots of reasons to like Dorgan for this job.
Dorgan is completely right on communication issues.
Dorgan became an enemy of the rampant media consolidation we have seen in the past ten years over an incident in the city of Minot. A train car containing anhydrous oxide had spilled and emergency officials needed to get emergency information out via localmedia. Unfortunately, Minot's radio station was owned by Clear Channel and the companyhad decided that an unmanned radio station programmed with canned programming was in the best interest of that community. There was nobody home to get the information out. Dorgan became a quick study on this issue and has been telling those who would listen for years that consolidated media corporations are not serving their legally-mandated public interest. Dorgan would be a great tonic to an FCC that has given the broadcasting industry pretty much everything it has wanted.
Dorgan has also been leading the charge on net neutrality. Right now, everyone gets the same Internet. The ISP industry, emboldened by a supreme court decision that says theydo not have to treat everyone equally has been toying with the idea of tiered Internet service. Those who have more, would get more. The Internet has been a great equalizer and those days would be over if the ISP industry has its way.
Supposedly, Amazon.com CEO, Jeff Bezos, has the inside track on the nomination. Bezos
is a proponent of net neutrality, and so I couldn't complain too much about that.
But please, Mr. President, consider Byron Dorgan for this important job.
I'm a communciation person, however, and I beleive that communication is going to be increasingly important in the near future. I nominate North Dakota Senator, Byron Dorgan.
First, a little backstory: the entire three-man North Dakota congressional delegation came out early for Obama. So, there is no political rancor to deal with here. The Obamaadministration has previously sought the services of another qualified North Dakotan, Kent Conrad, to oversee the Office of Managment of the Budget. Conrad has a rep as a numbersman in the senate, and was a tax commissioner in North Dakota. To his credit, Conrad demured, saying that he wanted to continue serving the people of North Dakota and savehis home state from a future Duane Sand run for office.
Would Dorgan be asked, I think he would say the same thing. But, there are lots of reasons to like Dorgan for this job.
Dorgan is completely right on communication issues.
Dorgan became an enemy of the rampant media consolidation we have seen in the past ten years over an incident in the city of Minot. A train car containing anhydrous oxide had spilled and emergency officials needed to get emergency information out via localmedia. Unfortunately, Minot's radio station was owned by Clear Channel and the companyhad decided that an unmanned radio station programmed with canned programming was in the best interest of that community. There was nobody home to get the information out. Dorgan became a quick study on this issue and has been telling those who would listen for years that consolidated media corporations are not serving their legally-mandated public interest. Dorgan would be a great tonic to an FCC that has given the broadcasting industry pretty much everything it has wanted.
Dorgan has also been leading the charge on net neutrality. Right now, everyone gets the same Internet. The ISP industry, emboldened by a supreme court decision that says theydo not have to treat everyone equally has been toying with the idea of tiered Internet service. Those who have more, would get more. The Internet has been a great equalizer and those days would be over if the ISP industry has its way.
Supposedly, Amazon.com CEO, Jeff Bezos, has the inside track on the nomination. Bezos
is a proponent of net neutrality, and so I couldn't complain too much about that.
But please, Mr. President, consider Byron Dorgan for this important job.
Friday, January 9, 2009
News From Infoshop.org
The man federal agents accused of carefully assembling eight Molotov cocktails had to have his lawyer help him with his necktie. Once his rust-colored cravat was knotted in a half-Windsor, Bradley Neal Crowder stood before a federal judge Thursday and admitted that he helped build the firebombs during last summer's Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
The man federal agents accused of carefully assembling eight Molotov cocktails had to have his lawyer help him with his necktie.
Once his rust-colored cravat was knotted in a half-Windsor, Bradley Neal Crowder stood before a federal judge Thursday and admitted that he helped build the firebombs during last summer's Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
As part of a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, in return for his plea to possessing an unregistered firearm — that's how federal law defines a Molotov cocktail — the prosecutors will drop two other charges.
The man who made sandwiches at an Austin, Texas, sub shop could have faced 10 years in prison. With the plea bargain, he could face as few as 30 months behind bars.
Asked by Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis who else was involved in making the Molotov cocktails, Crowder, 23, unhesitatingly named his co-defendant, David McKay, also of Austin.
McKay, 23, goes on trial Jan. 26.
"At this point, we're still planning on going forward to trial," said McKay's lawyer, Jeff DeGree. He declined to say whether federal prosecutors had offered McKay a plea bargain.
Crowder's plea came a day after Davis ruled that evidence seized by St. Paul police could be used at the upcoming trial. A federal magistrate had recommended that some evidence be thrown out because police seized it without a warrant. Davis rejected the magistrate's findings.
While supporters of McKay and Crowder claim the two men had been entrapped by an undercover informant, Crowder's family said they believed he was doing the right thing by pleading guilty.
"He did do something wrong and he does need to take care of that responsibility," said his aunt, Brenda Crowder, of Stephenville, Texas. "We're still aggravated at him; I could just pinch his head off. But he needs to take responsibility for what he did. If he gets 30 months, that is a long time. But if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
The two Texans were among a group of 12 demonstrators who rented a van and U-Haul trailer in Austin and came to Minnesota in late August before the GOP convention. The trailer contained riot shields, helmets and batons that Crowder and McKay had allegedly made, and the group planned to take part in protests in St. Paul's streets. Prosecutors alleged that Crowder was a leader of the group.
Unknown to them, a member of the group, longtime political activist Brandon Darby, had become a confidential informant for the FBI. Darby had told officials about the shields and other riot gear, and after the group arrived in St. Paul, police seized the trailer.
The government claims McKay and Crowder decided to exact revenge for the seizure by building Molotov cocktails. Members of the group bought supplies from Wal-Mart and the two men allegedly spent the night of Aug. 31 and morning of Sept. 1 assembling the firebombs, then hid them in the basement of the apartment building where they were staying.
McKay and Crowder were among hundreds of protesters arrested on the convention's first day. McKay was soon released, but Crowder was kept in custody. Federal agents claim that McKay grew frustrated over his friend's continued detention, and that he told Darby he planned to use the Molotov cocktails against several law enforcement cars — even if police were in them.
Police later arrested McKay, searched the apartment building and seized the eight Molotov cocktails.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Paulsen announced the plea agreement Thursday, and Crowder waived his right to a jury trial. If Davis accepts defense lawyer Andrew Mohring's contention that Crowder played a "minor role" in the alleged scheme, his punishment range would be 30 to 37 months.
Paulsen said the government planned to object to that, and if Davis sides with prosecutors, Crowder could face 37 to 46 months in prison.
After the hearing, Paulsen said the plea agreement doesn't require Crowder to testify at McKay's trial.
Crowder and McKay have been in federal custody since their arrest last September. While in the Sherburne County Jail, where local federal detainees are held, Crowder has become a tutor for prisoners working on their GEDs, said his aunt.
"The first one that he tutored had one of the highest grades they'd ever gotten in that jail," she said. "Bradley is so excited. He said it's so refreshing to be able to help these guys who normally wouldn't even be able to get their GED. What's that saying about making lemonade out of lemons? Maybe he's found his calling."
McKay's father, Midland, Texas, businessman Michael McKay, said he was displeased with the guilty plea, but he didn't believe it would affect his son's case.
"I'm sure he did what his attorney told him was best," he said of Crowder. "However, there is a bunch of lying in this story, especially Mr. Darby, the so-called informant. He's nothing but a liar. I will prove that in court. He's the one who trained those kids, he's the one who pushed them, he's the one who got them to commit the criminal activity, all of that for the FBI."
Under questioning by Paulsen, however, Crowder said nobody forced him or influenced him to build the devices.
The Darby-as-provocateur claim is one that members of the thriving Austin activist community has echoed; one group released a statement Monday saying Darby "had a lot of sway over Crowder and McKay, making them susceptible to his often-militant rhetoric."
But Darby denied that, and said in an interview after the plea that he believed Crowder did the right thing.
"If you make a series of mistakes and choices, I think it's an honorable thing to accept responsibility for your actions," he said. "Many in the radical community gave him an opportunity to be deceitful for self-gain, and he turned away from that and acknowledged his wrongdoing, and I think that's very respectable."
David Hanners can be reached at 612-338-6516.
The man federal agents accused of carefully assembling eight Molotov cocktails had to have his lawyer help him with his necktie.
Once his rust-colored cravat was knotted in a half-Windsor, Bradley Neal Crowder stood before a federal judge Thursday and admitted that he helped build the firebombs during last summer's Republican National Convention in St. Paul.
As part of a plea bargain with federal prosecutors, in return for his plea to possessing an unregistered firearm — that's how federal law defines a Molotov cocktail — the prosecutors will drop two other charges.
The man who made sandwiches at an Austin, Texas, sub shop could have faced 10 years in prison. With the plea bargain, he could face as few as 30 months behind bars.
Asked by Chief U.S. District Judge Michael Davis who else was involved in making the Molotov cocktails, Crowder, 23, unhesitatingly named his co-defendant, David McKay, also of Austin.
McKay, 23, goes on trial Jan. 26.
"At this point, we're still planning on going forward to trial," said McKay's lawyer, Jeff DeGree. He declined to say whether federal prosecutors had offered McKay a plea bargain.
Crowder's plea came a day after Davis ruled that evidence seized by St. Paul police could be used at the upcoming trial. A federal magistrate had recommended that some evidence be thrown out because police seized it without a warrant. Davis rejected the magistrate's findings.
While supporters of McKay and Crowder claim the two men had been entrapped by an undercover informant, Crowder's family said they believed he was doing the right thing by pleading guilty.
"He did do something wrong and he does need to take care of that responsibility," said his aunt, Brenda Crowder, of Stephenville, Texas. "We're still aggravated at him; I could just pinch his head off. But he needs to take responsibility for what he did. If he gets 30 months, that is a long time. But if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
The two Texans were among a group of 12 demonstrators who rented a van and U-Haul trailer in Austin and came to Minnesota in late August before the GOP convention. The trailer contained riot shields, helmets and batons that Crowder and McKay had allegedly made, and the group planned to take part in protests in St. Paul's streets. Prosecutors alleged that Crowder was a leader of the group.
Unknown to them, a member of the group, longtime political activist Brandon Darby, had become a confidential informant for the FBI. Darby had told officials about the shields and other riot gear, and after the group arrived in St. Paul, police seized the trailer.
The government claims McKay and Crowder decided to exact revenge for the seizure by building Molotov cocktails. Members of the group bought supplies from Wal-Mart and the two men allegedly spent the night of Aug. 31 and morning of Sept. 1 assembling the firebombs, then hid them in the basement of the apartment building where they were staying.
McKay and Crowder were among hundreds of protesters arrested on the convention's first day. McKay was soon released, but Crowder was kept in custody. Federal agents claim that McKay grew frustrated over his friend's continued detention, and that he told Darby he planned to use the Molotov cocktails against several law enforcement cars — even if police were in them.
Police later arrested McKay, searched the apartment building and seized the eight Molotov cocktails.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Paulsen announced the plea agreement Thursday, and Crowder waived his right to a jury trial. If Davis accepts defense lawyer Andrew Mohring's contention that Crowder played a "minor role" in the alleged scheme, his punishment range would be 30 to 37 months.
Paulsen said the government planned to object to that, and if Davis sides with prosecutors, Crowder could face 37 to 46 months in prison.
After the hearing, Paulsen said the plea agreement doesn't require Crowder to testify at McKay's trial.
Crowder and McKay have been in federal custody since their arrest last September. While in the Sherburne County Jail, where local federal detainees are held, Crowder has become a tutor for prisoners working on their GEDs, said his aunt.
"The first one that he tutored had one of the highest grades they'd ever gotten in that jail," she said. "Bradley is so excited. He said it's so refreshing to be able to help these guys who normally wouldn't even be able to get their GED. What's that saying about making lemonade out of lemons? Maybe he's found his calling."
McKay's father, Midland, Texas, businessman Michael McKay, said he was displeased with the guilty plea, but he didn't believe it would affect his son's case.
"I'm sure he did what his attorney told him was best," he said of Crowder. "However, there is a bunch of lying in this story, especially Mr. Darby, the so-called informant. He's nothing but a liar. I will prove that in court. He's the one who trained those kids, he's the one who pushed them, he's the one who got them to commit the criminal activity, all of that for the FBI."
Under questioning by Paulsen, however, Crowder said nobody forced him or influenced him to build the devices.
The Darby-as-provocateur claim is one that members of the thriving Austin activist community has echoed; one group released a statement Monday saying Darby "had a lot of sway over Crowder and McKay, making them susceptible to his often-militant rhetoric."
But Darby denied that, and said in an interview after the plea that he believed Crowder did the right thing.
"If you make a series of mistakes and choices, I think it's an honorable thing to accept responsibility for your actions," he said. "Many in the radical community gave him an opportunity to be deceitful for self-gain, and he turned away from that and acknowledged his wrongdoing, and I think that's very respectable."
David Hanners can be reached at 612-338-6516.
Carl-My Favorite Beach Boy
I was taking a very long trip recently, and as usual, I brought many of my favorite CDs with me.
Among my CDs that I took with me on this particular trip was a single CD compilation of 30
chart hits by the Beach Boys.
One of the interesting things about listening to the Beach Boys, is that their music was so intricate, that I usually hear something new everytime I listen to their songs. Of course, a lot of the credit usually, and justifiability goes to the mad genius, Brian Wilson. Also. a lot of credit for the groups success goes to the Mike Love, for his co-writing chores with Brian, and for his drive to help the band succeed. Also, both Brian and Mike sang lead on a substantial number of the group's hits.
But, while listening to this set, I came to the conclusion, that my favorite Beach Boy is Carl Wilson. Mike Love's vocals were ideally suited to many of the group's sun and fun hits. Brian's lamenting tenor was suited well to many of the groups' slower songs. As the group matured, they discovered that Carl's voice was ideal and kind of right in the middle of these two extremes. A lot of my favorite Beach Boys hits, it turns out were sung by Carl. God Only Knows, Darlin, Wild Honey, and Good Vibrations all had lead vocals by Carl. Those are about my favorite Beach Boys songs.
Also, Carl provided a lot of the tasty lead guitar licks were provided by Carl, and when most of the instrumental tracks for the group started to be provided by session musicians, Carl still provided a good share of the lead guitar parts.
Also, Carl helped put the band together. An early version of the group was known as Carl and The Passions, and one of the later albums by the group was credited to Carl and the Passions. Carl may have helped keep the band going past its natural life, but, he still helped keep the group together.
The middle Wilson brother is not often given a lot of credit, but now that he is gone, it is time to give him his due.
Among my CDs that I took with me on this particular trip was a single CD compilation of 30
chart hits by the Beach Boys.
One of the interesting things about listening to the Beach Boys, is that their music was so intricate, that I usually hear something new everytime I listen to their songs. Of course, a lot of the credit usually, and justifiability goes to the mad genius, Brian Wilson. Also. a lot of credit for the groups success goes to the Mike Love, for his co-writing chores with Brian, and for his drive to help the band succeed. Also, both Brian and Mike sang lead on a substantial number of the group's hits.
But, while listening to this set, I came to the conclusion, that my favorite Beach Boy is Carl Wilson. Mike Love's vocals were ideally suited to many of the group's sun and fun hits. Brian's lamenting tenor was suited well to many of the groups' slower songs. As the group matured, they discovered that Carl's voice was ideal and kind of right in the middle of these two extremes. A lot of my favorite Beach Boys hits, it turns out were sung by Carl. God Only Knows, Darlin, Wild Honey, and Good Vibrations all had lead vocals by Carl. Those are about my favorite Beach Boys songs.
Also, Carl provided a lot of the tasty lead guitar licks were provided by Carl, and when most of the instrumental tracks for the group started to be provided by session musicians, Carl still provided a good share of the lead guitar parts.
Also, Carl helped put the band together. An early version of the group was known as Carl and The Passions, and one of the later albums by the group was credited to Carl and the Passions. Carl may have helped keep the band going past its natural life, but, he still helped keep the group together.
The middle Wilson brother is not often given a lot of credit, but now that he is gone, it is time to give him his due.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
News From Indymedia
(12-28-08)--The Palestinian Resistance has issued a general call for an all out response to the Israeli massacre of Gaza - military, political and diplomatic action is already underway. Popular mobilizations in solidarity with the Palestinian people are sprouting up everywhere, both organized and spontaneous: within Israel itself, and in every country of the world, communities are mobilizing for demonstrations and other solidarity actions.
US-supplied Israeli warplanes struck heavily populated areas of Gaza in Palestine today, killing more than 200 people and injuring more than 700. Gaza's population of a million and a half has been under an Israeli blockade and military siege for the last eighteen months.
Children who were on the streets heading home from school were among the dead and injured, while almost every single building of the democratically elected Government of Palestine was targeted in the airstrikes. Some sources report more than 100 bombings - and the operations are not yet finished.
Some buildings were struck repeatedly in second and third waves of airstrikes, so that medics who rushed on site to rescue the injured were caught in the subsequent bombings and were killed as well.
TV stations in the Middle East are showing scenes of the streets of Gaza filled with dead bodies were they fell among the rubble and the flames. Some images of mutilated and grossly butchered bodies are so gruesome that digital masking was used to spare the viewers. Ma'an News Agency reports that according to medical sources most victims are being brought to hospitals "in pieces". Also, that hospital corridors and morgues have run out of space.
Kristen Ess, writing for the Palestine News Network reported that local stations are providing live coverage of the attacks, showing "...bodies are blown apart, children’s heads are split, there is blood everywhere and the cameras are shaking from the explosions."
The photo that accompanies this article was taken by a viewer watching Al Jazeera on television and published by the International Middle East Media Center. The dead pictured are civilian Police; the willful targeting of civilians is a violation of the Geneva Convention.
Many Governments around the world are condemning the actions, calling for a cease-fire and protesting the disproportionate force exerted by Israel. Many European and Arab Governments have been calling for calm and an immediate end to the operations. Russia, the Vatican and the EU also joined in expressing deep concern over the slaughter of innocents. Only the US and UK Governments have refused to join the world community, siding with the Zionist Israeli regime and making inflammatory and provocative statements calculated to add insult to the massacres.
Protests in solidarity with Palestine are springing up all over the world in every major city. Many political parties in Europe are issuing condemnations of the Israeli massacre.
In Palestine itself, as soon as news of the attacks spread to the communities and the scale of the atrocities was beginning to be known, demonstrations broke out everywhere, leading to battles of youth armed only with sticks and stones against Israeli troops who fought them with chemical and many other weapons - there were also arrests. Demonstrations took place in every city in the West Bank and also in East Jerusalem and Hebron.
Three days of mourning are being called all over the country, and a general strike is being organized in protest for the massacre.
Palestinian militia and resistance groups have launched about 70 improvised rockets targeting locations in Israel. One person has died in these attacks. Most of the rockets hit empty areas, causing no damages or injuries. There is a high possibility that the airstrikes might lead to a ground war and all the resistance forces are preparing to defend the neighborhoods.
Within Palestinian society, there is now a renewed urging for unity among the many factions, with a special concern for unity between Hamas and Fatah, the two largest and most influential of the Palestinian organizations.
The political leadership of Hamas has called for a Third Intifada (uprising). The call is for a Military Intifada against Zionist forces, and for a Peaceful Intifada "internally", meaning that there is concern to keep minimizing the scale of conflict between Hamas and Fatah and especially to avoid bloodshed.
As the world mobilizes to oppose Israel's atrocities, the cause of Unity is going to be the most crucial factor that will determine the outcome of every effort.
US-supplied Israeli warplanes struck heavily populated areas of Gaza in Palestine today, killing more than 200 people and injuring more than 700. Gaza's population of a million and a half has been under an Israeli blockade and military siege for the last eighteen months.
Children who were on the streets heading home from school were among the dead and injured, while almost every single building of the democratically elected Government of Palestine was targeted in the airstrikes. Some sources report more than 100 bombings - and the operations are not yet finished.
Some buildings were struck repeatedly in second and third waves of airstrikes, so that medics who rushed on site to rescue the injured were caught in the subsequent bombings and were killed as well.
TV stations in the Middle East are showing scenes of the streets of Gaza filled with dead bodies were they fell among the rubble and the flames. Some images of mutilated and grossly butchered bodies are so gruesome that digital masking was used to spare the viewers. Ma'an News Agency reports that according to medical sources most victims are being brought to hospitals "in pieces". Also, that hospital corridors and morgues have run out of space.
Kristen Ess, writing for the Palestine News Network reported that local stations are providing live coverage of the attacks, showing "...bodies are blown apart, children’s heads are split, there is blood everywhere and the cameras are shaking from the explosions."
The photo that accompanies this article was taken by a viewer watching Al Jazeera on television and published by the International Middle East Media Center. The dead pictured are civilian Police; the willful targeting of civilians is a violation of the Geneva Convention.
Many Governments around the world are condemning the actions, calling for a cease-fire and protesting the disproportionate force exerted by Israel. Many European and Arab Governments have been calling for calm and an immediate end to the operations. Russia, the Vatican and the EU also joined in expressing deep concern over the slaughter of innocents. Only the US and UK Governments have refused to join the world community, siding with the Zionist Israeli regime and making inflammatory and provocative statements calculated to add insult to the massacres.
Protests in solidarity with Palestine are springing up all over the world in every major city. Many political parties in Europe are issuing condemnations of the Israeli massacre.
In Palestine itself, as soon as news of the attacks spread to the communities and the scale of the atrocities was beginning to be known, demonstrations broke out everywhere, leading to battles of youth armed only with sticks and stones against Israeli troops who fought them with chemical and many other weapons - there were also arrests. Demonstrations took place in every city in the West Bank and also in East Jerusalem and Hebron.
Three days of mourning are being called all over the country, and a general strike is being organized in protest for the massacre.
Palestinian militia and resistance groups have launched about 70 improvised rockets targeting locations in Israel. One person has died in these attacks. Most of the rockets hit empty areas, causing no damages or injuries. There is a high possibility that the airstrikes might lead to a ground war and all the resistance forces are preparing to defend the neighborhoods.
Within Palestinian society, there is now a renewed urging for unity among the many factions, with a special concern for unity between Hamas and Fatah, the two largest and most influential of the Palestinian organizations.
The political leadership of Hamas has called for a Third Intifada (uprising). The call is for a Military Intifada against Zionist forces, and for a Peaceful Intifada "internally", meaning that there is concern to keep minimizing the scale of conflict between Hamas and Fatah and especially to avoid bloodshed.
As the world mobilizes to oppose Israel's atrocities, the cause of Unity is going to be the most crucial factor that will determine the outcome of every effort.
The Tall, Terrific, Talented, Tempting Temptations
It really seems like most of the movies I enjoy are about music.
Well, no real surprise there, I guess.
On to the column for this week....
At one time, VH1 became MTV for adults, at least that is what I called it. When MTV really started to
suck, and stopped doing what it did best, programming music videos, VH1, became the class of that
organization. Well, guess what, VH1 started to suck, also, and really the only thing to reccomend that
network is its Movies That Rock.
I was going to write this column about the release, of what is aabout my favorite rock and roll-themed
movie, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stain, on Rhino Home Video. But, I was recently back home over Christmas break and got to see what is about my favorite rock-themed movie of all time, ranking up there with THat Thing You Do, and Almost Famous.
Back in 1998, there was a two-part TV miniseries based on the biography of Otis Williams and the story
of one of the greatest vocal groups of all time, the Temptations.
VH1 programs this movie in all of its four hours from time to time. I do no think it is currently on DVD, and that is a damn shame.
This movie hits all of the right notes and takes us from the time when Otis Williams and The Distants
teamed up with another Detroit-based singing group called the Primes, and became, the Temptations, all the way to their struggles an oldies act in the 1980s.
This pic hits it all and tells us of the professional jealousies in the group, the alcoholism and suicide of Paul Williams, and the drug use and death of David Ruffin. Otis did not spare himself in his bio, either. He makes it clear that it was infidelity that led to the breakup with his wife, and his own neglect as a father that led to the untimely eath of his son.
If I have one complaint about this picture, I really would have liked to have seen how the Temps, interacted with the other Motown acts. We do see them with Smokey Robinson, as he wrote and produced their early hits, we get a glimpse of Tammy Terrell, and yes, we do learn that Dennis
Edwards came over from the Contours to take lead vocal duties with the group. But, Motown, early on was run like a family, and we know that all of these groups interacted with each other. Where
are the Four Tops? Marvin Gaye?
My favorite scene is early on when Otis Williams and the Distants are performing at a comunity
talent show with the Primes. Berry Gordy and Smokey come by to take a look at the acts. The actor
playing Smokey, is wearing a ridiculous checked jacket that, in the early 1960s, was the height of inner city fashion. When he walks into the room, he is the cock of the walk, and he knows it. This scene is so right on so many levels.
True, songs like, MY Girl, get overplayed on oldies radio, but you need to see this movie to understand why that song and others like it are so special.
Well, no real surprise there, I guess.
On to the column for this week....
At one time, VH1 became MTV for adults, at least that is what I called it. When MTV really started to
suck, and stopped doing what it did best, programming music videos, VH1, became the class of that
organization. Well, guess what, VH1 started to suck, also, and really the only thing to reccomend that
network is its Movies That Rock.
I was going to write this column about the release, of what is aabout my favorite rock and roll-themed
movie, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stain, on Rhino Home Video. But, I was recently back home over Christmas break and got to see what is about my favorite rock-themed movie of all time, ranking up there with THat Thing You Do, and Almost Famous.
Back in 1998, there was a two-part TV miniseries based on the biography of Otis Williams and the story
of one of the greatest vocal groups of all time, the Temptations.
VH1 programs this movie in all of its four hours from time to time. I do no think it is currently on DVD, and that is a damn shame.
This movie hits all of the right notes and takes us from the time when Otis Williams and The Distants
teamed up with another Detroit-based singing group called the Primes, and became, the Temptations, all the way to their struggles an oldies act in the 1980s.
This pic hits it all and tells us of the professional jealousies in the group, the alcoholism and suicide of Paul Williams, and the drug use and death of David Ruffin. Otis did not spare himself in his bio, either. He makes it clear that it was infidelity that led to the breakup with his wife, and his own neglect as a father that led to the untimely eath of his son.
If I have one complaint about this picture, I really would have liked to have seen how the Temps, interacted with the other Motown acts. We do see them with Smokey Robinson, as he wrote and produced their early hits, we get a glimpse of Tammy Terrell, and yes, we do learn that Dennis
Edwards came over from the Contours to take lead vocal duties with the group. But, Motown, early on was run like a family, and we know that all of these groups interacted with each other. Where
are the Four Tops? Marvin Gaye?
My favorite scene is early on when Otis Williams and the Distants are performing at a comunity
talent show with the Primes. Berry Gordy and Smokey come by to take a look at the acts. The actor
playing Smokey, is wearing a ridiculous checked jacket that, in the early 1960s, was the height of inner city fashion. When he walks into the room, he is the cock of the walk, and he knows it. This scene is so right on so many levels.
True, songs like, MY Girl, get overplayed on oldies radio, but you need to see this movie to understand why that song and others like it are so special.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
News From The Asheville Global Report
Jan. 2- Officials ordered nine Muslim passengers, including three young children, off an AirTran flight headed to Orlando from Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon after two other passengers overheard what they thought was a suspicious remark.
Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI.
Kashif Irfan, one of the removed passengers, said the incident began about 1 p.m. after his brother, Atif, and his brother's wife wondered aloud about the safest place to sit on an airplane.
"My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Irfan said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' I think they were remarking about safety."
Irfan said he and the others think they were profiled because of their appearance. He said five of the six adults in the party are of South Asian descent, and all six are traditionally Muslim in appearance, with the men wearing beards and the women in headscarves. Irfan, 34, is an anesthesiologist. His brother, 29, is a lawyer. Both live in Alexandria with their families, and both were born in Detroit. They were traveling with their wives, Kashif Irfan's sister-in-law, a friend and Kashif Irfan's three sons, ages 7, 4 and 2.
AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson agreed that the incident amounted to a misunderstanding. But he defended AirTran's handling of the incident, which he said strictly followed federal rules. And he denied any wrongdoing on the airline's part.
"At the end of the day, people got on and made comments they shouldn't have made on the airplane, and other people heard them," Hutcheson said. "Other people heard them, misconstrued them. It just so happened these people were of Muslim faith and appearance. It escalated, it got out of hand and everyone took precautions."
Hutcheson confirmed that it was ultimately the pilot's decision to postpone the flight. But he said the pilot was influenced not only by the complaints from passengers but by the actions of two federal air marshals on board, who had learned of the incident and reported it to airport police.
As a result of that report, federal officials made the decision to order all 104 passengers from the plane and re-screen them and their luggage before allowing the flight to take off for Orlando -- two hours late and without the nine passengers.
Ellen Howe, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, said the pilot acted appropriately.
"For us, it just highlights that security is everybody's responsibility," Howe said. "Someone heard something that was inappropriate, and then the airline decided to act on it. We certainly support [the pilot's] call to do that."
Howe added that the TSA's involvement was limited to conducting a security sweep of the plane after the passengers were removed. Airport police officers' only involvement was to hold the passengers in custody until the FBI arrived, said Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the agency that runs the airport.
Hutcheson said AirTran is not likely to reimburse the passengers for the additional cost of their replacement tickets on USAirways. He said they were given a full refund for their AirTran fares and may fly on the carrier now that the investigation is complete.
The detained passengers said that is not likely.
"It was an ordeal," said Abdur Razack Aziz, the family friend who was also detained. "Nothing came out of it. It was paranoid people. It was very sad."
Members of the party, all but one of them U.S.-born citizens who were headed to a religious retreat in Florida, were subsequently cleared for travel by FBI agents who characterized the incident as a misunderstanding, an airport official said. But the passengers said AirTran refused to rebook them, and they had to pay for seats on another carrier secured with help from the FBI.
Kashif Irfan, one of the removed passengers, said the incident began about 1 p.m. after his brother, Atif, and his brother's wife wondered aloud about the safest place to sit on an airplane.
"My brother and his wife were discussing some aspect of airport security," Irfan said. "The only thing my brother said was, 'Wow, the jets are right next to my window.' I think they were remarking about safety."
Irfan said he and the others think they were profiled because of their appearance. He said five of the six adults in the party are of South Asian descent, and all six are traditionally Muslim in appearance, with the men wearing beards and the women in headscarves. Irfan, 34, is an anesthesiologist. His brother, 29, is a lawyer. Both live in Alexandria with their families, and both were born in Detroit. They were traveling with their wives, Kashif Irfan's sister-in-law, a friend and Kashif Irfan's three sons, ages 7, 4 and 2.
AirTran spokesman Tad Hutcheson agreed that the incident amounted to a misunderstanding. But he defended AirTran's handling of the incident, which he said strictly followed federal rules. And he denied any wrongdoing on the airline's part.
"At the end of the day, people got on and made comments they shouldn't have made on the airplane, and other people heard them," Hutcheson said. "Other people heard them, misconstrued them. It just so happened these people were of Muslim faith and appearance. It escalated, it got out of hand and everyone took precautions."
Hutcheson confirmed that it was ultimately the pilot's decision to postpone the flight. But he said the pilot was influenced not only by the complaints from passengers but by the actions of two federal air marshals on board, who had learned of the incident and reported it to airport police.
As a result of that report, federal officials made the decision to order all 104 passengers from the plane and re-screen them and their luggage before allowing the flight to take off for Orlando -- two hours late and without the nine passengers.
Ellen Howe, a spokeswoman for the Transportation Security Administration, said the pilot acted appropriately.
"For us, it just highlights that security is everybody's responsibility," Howe said. "Someone heard something that was inappropriate, and then the airline decided to act on it. We certainly support [the pilot's] call to do that."
Howe added that the TSA's involvement was limited to conducting a security sweep of the plane after the passengers were removed. Airport police officers' only involvement was to hold the passengers in custody until the FBI arrived, said Tara Hamilton, a spokeswoman for the agency that runs the airport.
Hutcheson said AirTran is not likely to reimburse the passengers for the additional cost of their replacement tickets on USAirways. He said they were given a full refund for their AirTran fares and may fly on the carrier now that the investigation is complete.
The detained passengers said that is not likely.
"It was an ordeal," said Abdur Razack Aziz, the family friend who was also detained. "Nothing came out of it. It was paranoid people. It was very sad."
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